Archive for October, 2009

Director Paul Greengrass’s latest endeavor appears to be quite akin to his most renowned works, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. His decision to even cast Matt Damon in the lead puts the film in a supiciously familiar haven, and I’m not sure what to get out of it.

On one hand, I love The Bourne Trilogy. However, I want to see artistic development in Greengrass’ next projects . The trailer shows how entertaining this film will most likely be, and Greengrass’ repertoire proves how talented he is. Yet, seeing him become formulaic is a setback.

Of course, I could be completely wrong about the movie. The studios could’ve demanded that the trailer be cut to encapsulate the Bourne mentality, which would easily garner moviegoers.

Whether Greengrass is becoming passe or the studios are being far too cheap and manipulative, I am left disappointed with this preview.

Director Micheal Dougherty’s shrewd anthology of intermittent Halloween tales is one of the best movie experiences of 2009. Trick ‘r Treat, a film that went through a tiring process to be released, is finally available to the public due to its DVD release two weeks ago.

What’s surprising to note is that this movie was completed two years ago, but it was constantly kept on the shelf of Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures. Plans for a theatrical run were pushed farther and farther back until the film began gathering dust; only a few screenings across the country ever took place.

The lucky few that had the opportunity to see Trick ‘r Treat had unanimous praise, and, by word of mouth, there sparked high demand for this clandestine film’s circulation. It’s not until now that distribution has finally happened, but it’s unfortunate that it had to be straight to DVD.

Trick ‘r Treat combines the nostalgia of Are you Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps with the classicality of Halloween, The Evil Dead, and Creep Show to create an extremely fun and intellectual film that deals with the mythos of Halloween. Just like the characters that must honor the holiday’s traditions, the movie itself pays respect to the great films that inspired it. What is produced is clever storytelling, great camerawork, and a great atmosphere that depicts the beauty and spookiness that encapsulates the month of October.

To carve out the plot of Trick ‘r Treat would be a great disservice to your first experience. The film intertwines four stories, and while they seem disjointed at first, they come together subtly and unexpectedly. None of these particular arcs are necessarily scary, but they explore the darkness of humanity with truly haunting mannerisms.

Some say this is the next coming of great horror, but I slightly disagree. The film’s lack of terror and gore deter it from being a masterpiece, but it’s an undeniably amazing movie to add to that specific genre, definitely surpassing most modern day horror flicks. It will attain great status in the future, but it isn’t quite the next Halloween. Yet, I don’t think the latter was in Dougherty’s intention.

The plaintive montage that opens this wonderful trailer exhibits the heartfelt storytelling that Pixar has been able to provide over the last decade. Nostalgia easily comes to mind with each viewing, but Pixar’s presentation of growing old brings sentiments of fear and excitement.

Our emotional connection with these toys will continue in the summer of 2010; they’ll mistakenly be taken to a daycare center after Andy heads off to college. We’ll follow our familiar friends, Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang as they hatch a plan to escape in order to find themselves a suitable new home.

The second trailer for Wes Anderson’s first animated film, Fantastic Mr. Fox, has recently surfaced. I was rather critical of the teaser that was released in mid Summer; there was an amount of compositional flatness that accentuated some of the shortcomings of Anderson’s distinguishable yet repetitive style.

However, this second trailer does the exact opposite. The dialogue, music, and characters blend together perfectly within two minutes, reminding me that Anderson is a good craftsman. It’s apparent in this preview that he cares a lot about this project and the source material that inspired it.

Limited release is scheduled for November 13. Then a wide release two weeks later.